Stay With Me
by superstargirl818
Summary: Lia Thompson was 17 & had everything to live for but after she is in a car crash her life changes. Lia is saved by Godric. They fall in love & Godric finally has something to live for but he has a dark secret & it may just tear their relationship apart
1. Chapter 1

_AN: This story has been being planned for the past 1 year with changes happening to nearly every aspect of the story which I never done with a story before. I really really want this to do well and after months of dithering over small details I've finally just decided to upload it. I know I shouldn't be starting this story when I am feeling under immense pressure to complete my other ones but I just couldn't resist. I adore True Blood and especially Godric. _

_Disclaimer: I don't own True Blood but I really really really would like to own Godric ;) _

CHAPTER ONE –

I yawned and rubbed my eyes as I trudged down the stairs blearily trying to wake myself up. I was late for school, like really really late but I just didn't have the energy in me to rush.

I sat down in our little shabby kitchen at the table along with my sister and dad. I was trying not to yawn. I failed.

"Late night?" my dad James asked from behind his newspaper.

"I was working last night" I told him, trying to ignore his concerned stare. My dad was nothing if not attentive,

"You know I don't like you working late on a school night" he complained. I rolled my eyes trying to ignore him. I had recently gotten a job working as a waitress at Merlottes bar and he was anything but happy about it. We had many arguments about it before and after I took the job and it had taken a lot of whining and promises on my behalf for him to let me take the job. Our mother had walked out on us a few years ago and ever since then I think he has felt he has needed to do double parenting and worrying twice as much.

He put his paper down and looking at him I could see why people thought he was handsome. He was 40 years old, had black curly greying hair and sparkling green eyes. He was the local vet in bon-temps (scratch that- he was the only vet in bon-temps) and although he loved his job and he worked really hard it only brought in just enough to keep our heads above water

"Leave Lia alone Dad!" my elder sister Rowan pitched in. I shot her a grateful look. At 23 years old she was six years older than my 17 and worked at Merlotte's full time. She had jet black hair which was curled and as usual she was caked in fake tan, false nails, fake designer heels and make-up, totally inappropriate for waitressing but so typical of her.

"I'm not trying to nag" My dad shot Rowan an annoyed look "I'm just trying to look out for my daughters best interests. It's her senior year this year and I don't want her grades slipping because she's up all hours of the night serving beer and burgers to loudmouthed drunken rednecks"

"Please lets not argue" I begged pouring myself a bowl of cereal. I was just not alert enough for another lecture. Luckily I was saved by arrival of my little brother Michael who entered the room grinning and sat down in the chair next to me. Michael was 10 and the youngest of us three. It was his eleventh birthday next week and I was looking forward to being able to afford a decent present for him this year.

"Just 8 days to go" he shouted and I laughed.

"Trust you to be counting down the days!" I teased

"Of course, I can't wait. Nearly everyone in my class has a phone" He complained

"You're not subtle in asking for gifts either" My dad pointed out

"Have I got one?" He burst out wriggling in his seat

"You'll have to wait and see" I hid a smile. I had a BlackBerry wrapped upstairs in my bedroom for his birthday and was almost as excited as he was! Michael was your typical boy. He liked sports and cars and unlike Rowan and I who had our fathers jet black hair and our mothers dark eyes he had mums dark blonde locks and green eyes. He was going to be a heartbreaker when he was older. He also had not gotten to the terrible teen stage yet so he was still our lovable little cute brother. We all doted on him.

After finishing my breakfast I rushed off to school. I arrived breathless and frazzled just as the bell rang and after rushing into class I sat down next to my best friend Annie.

"Were have you been?" she whispered.

"Argument with my dad" I whispered as I tried to quickly get my books out. I looked at her and smiled as I saw her sitting up listening intently to the teacher with her books laid out alongside her pens. I loved my slightly OCD best friend. At 5,6, With long blonde beautiful hair, a dazzling smile, pretty eyes and brains to match not many people looked past her to the small, scrawny dark haired girl walking beside her. I had known her since kindergarten. Her father was a pastor and she was an only child so she had a lot of pressure on her to be perfect. At first I was really jealous of her seemingly perfect life but I should know by now that not everything is as it seems.

I waved across the room to our other best friend Luke, He had come to town with his elder brother Toby just a few years ago. Toby was 20 years older than Luke and their parents had died when he was a baby leaving Toby the one to bring him up. His tragic story had spread to the girls of Forks High School and lets just say it hadn't harmed his chances with the girls. If there was anything Luke was good it it was shameless flirting.

So yes this was my life, small, boring predictable but I loved it. My two best friends were there the most kindest and loyal you could have, I had reasonable grades and a pretty cool family and I wasn't too ugly so I was pretty content.

Later that night I felt differently as beer stained and tired I trudged towards my car in the car lot of Merlottes bar. It had been a particularly brutal night tonight as my boss Sam was trying out a few new things for the bar and had installed a widescreen TV to show sports games on. The first game was shown tonight and it had been incredibly successful with every table full but it also meant all of us waitresses were dead on our feet by the end of our shift. It was a good night for tips though.

I cheered myself up immensely with the thought that I was gradually getting closer to having enough money to buy the dress I desperately wanted for the prom. My dad could've bought me one I suppose but as money was tight I would've felt I little bit bad plus taking on this job meant I could really splash ou and buy the amazing dress I wanted plus I could treat myself with the money left over each month. It was relief that I could actually go out with Lucas and Annie now without making some pathetic excuse because I didn't have the money.

I got into my car and watched as Rowan and all the other waitresses came out. She gave me a wave as she got into her boyfriends car and they drove off. She had only been dating David three months but apparently it had been love at first sight and they had moved in together after just 2 weeks. I waved to Sookie Stackhouse, people didn't like her, they thought she was weird and her dating a vampire didn't help matters but she had always been nice to me in the six months I had worked at Merlotte's so I had no problem with her.

I checked my watch 1.09am it read. I groaned and beeped the horn where was he? Finally my dad James came out followed by Michael. I beeped the horn again, every night I worked late he insisted on coming to the bar and taking me home. I tried to protest but he had firmly put his foot down. Usually Michael stayed at home and was fast asleep but the babysitter had fell through.

"Sorry I was just chatting to Sam" He apologized I rolled my eyes as Michael climbed in the back and tiredly lied down in the back.

"Seat belt on!" Dad ordered looking at Michael who was half-asleep

"Oh just leave him, he'll be fine and he's tired" I shrugged. It was only a ten minute drive home.

"But..." He protested

"Oh, come Dad! We have to go, I'm tired and I've got school tomorrow" I complained as I started the car and began the drive home

"That's not my fault" He said "You wanted this job; I didn't make you take it"

"I took it because we need the money" I snapped. I was tired and feeling sorry for myself "I wouldn't need to take this job if you just swallowed your pride and tried to get some child support from mom!"

"You're 17 and your sister is 23" He pointed out still being calm.

"Michael's only 10! and what about the last 10 years?" I shouted "Surely you're due some back pay? Me, Michael and Rowan wouldn't have had to go without if you just tried to file a claim but you wanted to prove to Mom that we didn't need her"

"Aliana, I know I've not been a perfect father and you've had to go without a lot of things but I genuinely have tried my best for you three. I'm sorry if you don't feel that I have done a good job" He said. I felt bad; really bad I was just tired and ratty. I had stayed up until 4am finishing a paper the night before. I didn't mean to take it out on my dad. Rowan, Michael and I were his life I knew that. I opened my mouth to apologise but…

"LIA, WATCH OUT!" My dad shouted. I noticed too late that there was a black figure stood in the middle of the road. I swerved abruptly trying to avoid it and everything went black. I woke up opening my eyes very very slowly, everything was blurry and disoriented my whole body was in pain. The car was upside down, I think my arm was broken along with a few ribs, I groaned and tried to sit up but I was stuck, I looked over to my dad, He was unconscious with blood trickling down his mouth. I couldn't see Michael.

"Help" I croaked pathetically before I lost consciousness again. I vaguely heard voices

"She's dying" A man's voice said, I couldn't quiet place where the man was from but I could tell he was young. Not much older than me, I liked his voice, it was sweet and gentle.

"Just leave her" A colder voice said, He sounded older and definitely American.

"No, unless I heal her she will die, she's so young. We were never supposed to kill Eric! I caused the crash and I have to put it right" The young sweet voice said "I have to fix it"

"Forever the do-gooder" The other voice grumbled "What about the others Godric?" The older voice asked. So the young man was called Godric.

"There's nothing that can be done" Godric said, a sadness in his voice "Besides, if we take all of them then people are going to be suspicious. A crashed car but no bodies" I felt myself losing consciousness again and tried to fight it, I wanted to hear the sweet voice again but it was fruitless and I vaguely remember sirens and being scooped up in someone's arms before I was gone.

I had been asleep for a long time, I could tell. I wasn't in pain anymore but my body ached and my mouth was dry. I opened my eyes slowly hesitantly and took in my surroundings. I sat up slowly and saw that I had been laid on a leather sofa, an afghan was covering me. I looked around, I was in an office, It looked pretty simple, There was a wooden desk with a swivel chair, on the desk lay a laptop, a lamp and some papers and pens, I looked around the office shelves lined the walls with files and boxes on them, I didn't know this office. I didn't know where I was or what I was doing here. The last thing I remembered was crashing the car as I argued with my dad.

Oh no! I stood up quickly hoping that Dad and Michael were both okay but then I blushed in horror as the Afghan fell down and I realised that I had been changed out of my clothes and was now wearing nothing but my underwear and a large man size red t-shirt that said Fangtasia.

Fangtasia, I felt sick as I read the t-shirt, I had heard about Fangtasia before, it was a club humans went to stare at and hopefully fuck vampires. I had been saved by a vampire! Could I get out of this vile place alive? How had I even got here? I felt fine but shouldn't I be in a hospital just to be sure? I could not remember a thing that happened after the crash and it was scaring the hell out of me.

I stood in silence considering my options. I didn't hate vampires, how could I when I had only met one vampire before and that was Sookie's boyfriend Bill Compton. I hardly knew anything about vampires and to be honest they didn't interest me. Bill was friendly enough but I wasn't gullible enough to think that all vampires were the same. What if these vampires wanted to bite me? Surely they had enough people to feed on? and if they wanted to feed on me then why save me and bring me back here? but then again I overheard Bill one time saying that some vampires enjoyed hunting their prey. Did they save me just to torture me and make my death more prolonged? Urgh, I wished I knew more about vampires! I was seriously out of my depth here.

My mind swirled as I paced the office arguing with myself. There was no way I was going to be some vampires supper. I suddenly noticed a small window in the corner of the office. jackpot! Now was my chance! I pushed the desk against the wall hoping that the music from the club would drown out the scraping of the desk across the floor. I climbed onto the table and reached up to the table trying to push it open. I was so preoccupied with trying to open the window that I did not here the door open, I did however hear the male voice a few seconds later.

"What on earth are you doing?"

* * *

><p><em>AN: So that's the first chapter, I really really hope you like it and I promise there is going to be more twists and turns in the future not just for Lia but also for her family and friends. Plus little hint: vampires are not the only characters in the story. <em>

_Please please review I would love to hear some feedback on the story and definitely want to know areas on which I can improve. I don't mind criticism as long as it's constructive!. _

_Also please note that I have a fanfiction website with fun stuff like information, character profiles and trailers for my stories on it. You can see the profiles of the characters in this story including pictures so you can get an idea of what the characters look like. The link to the website is on my profile page._


	2. Chapter 2

_AN: Thanks for all your reviews for the first chapter. I'm so happy that you all seem to like it, I've got the first 5 or 6 chapters planned so I should update it relatively quick._

_Disclaimer: I don't own True Blood_

Chapter 2 –

"What on earth are you doing?" I heard a voice say and turned around. In my shock I gasped and slipped falling backwards off the desk but instead of hitting the ground the vampire appeared behind me instantly from across the room and caught me in his arms.

I looked up at him and got a good look at his face for the first time. He was handsome; his face perfectly sculpted looked like it had come straight from a medallion or statue. He had short brown hair that flopped perfectly over his face. He had green eyes that sparkled in the reflection of the light. He dressed casually wearing faded jeans and a simple grey t-shirt which enhanced his lean, muscled body. I noticed a tattoo on his collarbone which was mostly covered by his t-shirt.

I blushed furiously as I suddenly realised were I was and that I was probably flashing my knickers in the arms of a vampire who was more than likely going to kill me. I jumped up out of his arms and without a second glance ran towards the door. I knew he was probably going to catch me and that running was futile but I wasn't going down without a fight. I pulled open the door and ran down a long corridor. I came to another door and knew from the sound of music growing louder that the main club was behind it. Thanking god that that t-shirt I was wearing was as long as a dress I pulled it open and ran through the club pushing past the people and heading towards the main entrance.

I was suddenly grabbed from behind and twirled around to face a leering man dressed all in black

"Come and dance with me darling" He grinned at me trying to drag me towards the dance floor

"N…No Thank…You" I stammered trying to pull away from him but it did not seem to make a difference. I quickly realised he was a vampire

"Come and dance with me" He insisted, his voice less friendly now. His grip was firmer and beginning to hurt my arm. I shook my head

"I need to go home" I insisted. He ignored me dragging me towards the dancefloor

"Let go of me!" I shouted pulling against him as hard as I could hoping that someone would notice and help me. Someone did but it wasn't the person I expected

"Let her go!" A fierce voice came seemingly out of nowhere. I turned around to see it was the vampire from before.

"Oh come on Godric!" The vampire sneered "She's just some girl"

"She's mine" The man who I now knew as Godric stepped forwards. There was danger in his voice and in the way he stepped. "She is mine" He repeated stepping up so that he and the man were face-to-face. My heart was beating wildly. I had two vampires fighting over who got to kill me. How the hell did I get myself in this situation? "Now I won't ask you again" Godric said, I could tell his anger was just below the surface. I vaguely wondered whether they would actually start fighting.

I never got to wonder though because the vampire let me go and Godric put his arm around me and gently pushed me back to the door I had just ran out of. I wondered vaguely whether there would be any point of running again and realised there probably wouldn't.

He led me to the office and I walked inside while he closed the door behind me. I suddenly noticed a wooden broom in the corner and before I had time to make any sort of plan I grabbed it, broke it with my knee and turned around holding it up to the bewildered vampires face.

"What are you doing?" He raised his eyebrows

"I'm not going to let you kill me!" I said trying to sound brave but my wobbly voice giving me away.

"I know" He smiled

"What?" I frowned "you're lying!" I insisted. Of course he would say that, I was holding the stake! Granted it was a crappy, homemade one but it could still kill him

"What is your name" He asked me, he was staring at me as if he could see all my secrets by just looking me in the eyes.

"None of your business" I said frowning at him rather childishly

"You have shown much bravery tonight child" he smiled

"I just want to go home" I shakily sighed willing myself not to cry everything suddenly hitting me. My life had been in danger more than once tonight.

"I promise you, I am not stopping you" He held his hands up moving away from the door

"Why did I end up in here then?" the curiosity stopping me from leaving. "If not to kill me then why did you bring me here?"

"I found you and your family in the road after the crash" He said "You were…severely injured. You wouldn't have survived if we hadn't have saved you. I gave you some of my blood which healed you and brought you back here"

"Did you undress me?" I gasped. If he had I was going to stake him whether he saved me or not!

"No, a female worker at the club did. Your clothes were ripped" he chuckled

"So you…. Gave me your… blood… and brought me back here?" I repeated slowly. He nodded "What about my family?" I asked him, maybe they were here as well!

"I'm sorry" He looked down "You were the only one I could save" He sounded sorry

"What do you mean?" I asked slowly, shakily. I knew what it meant but I didn't want to process it. He went to open his mouth

"No, I don't want to hear it! Vampires can be wrong too!" I insisted stepping away from him as if I was stepping away from the truth. He just looked at me sadly, That's what upset me the most.

"I need to go to the hospital" I said turning around "How do I get out of here?"

"Let me take you" He said stepping towards me. I shook my head

"No, I'm a big girl I can take care of myself" I pushed past him towards the door but he appeared in front of it. I jumped and took a step back

"Let me help you! It's 4am and there will be a lot of undesirables out at this hour. It's not suitable for a young woman to be alone at these hours. Please let me help you" He grabbed my hand and a shot of electricity jolted up it and warmed up my insides. I let go of his hand dropping it instantly.

"Erm…Well" I coughed trying to avoid eye contact with this extremely handsome man "I suppose it is late and if it makes you feel better" I shrugged

"It does" He smiled before walking over to one of the filing cabinets. Pulling it open he pulled out a pair of jeans "You'd better put these on before we leave and your shoes are over there" He passed them to me before nodding in the corner at the shoes which I hadn't noticed before. I nodded and he left the room.

I changed as fast as I could still holding the stake in one hand. For some reason I trusted Godric but from what I had seen of the other vampires they were not to be trusted. After a few minutes he came back into the room and we walked the opposite way down the corridor and out the back door.

I followed him across the car park and raised my eyebrow when we finally stopped "This is your car?" I asked him

"Yes" He said holding the door open for me "Come on in you get" He smiled

"It looks old fashioned" I noted as I climbed in

"That's because it is, It's a MGB Roadster '69" He told me as he got in and began driving.

I frowned "That means nothing to me" I admitted honestly, He laughed

"So, why didn't you kill me?" I turned around to him wanting to get straight to the point "From the little I know about vampires it seems most vampires find a girl who's injured, bleeding and dying they'd kill her straight away. Not save her and then take her to a club" I turned to him. He remained silent. I couldn't tell his facial expression from the darkness. He sighed

"I've not drunk human blood in almost ten years" he said quietly to me "You're right, most vampires would not be able or even want to resist the lure of a dying humans blood but I'm not like most vampires and I can resist blood almost to point that it doesn't bother me anymore."

"How?" I frowned, I knew I was being upfront but I was curious. Wasn't the whole point of being a vampire was that they needed blood to survive? They were addicted to it?

"Well my age is a contributing factor" He said "I'm pretty old, even by a vampires standards"

"How old…" I began but then I stopped myself, I was being way to pushy and didn't know vampire standards. Were you even allowed to ask them their age?

"I'm 2000 years old" He said glancing at me. I stared at him in shock "2…2,000? Years old?" I gasped. He smiled watching my reaction.

"So you've been around for everything?" I tried to take it all in "Henry 8th, Hitler, even Jesus!" My eyes were as wide as saucers and I knew my reaction was totally childish and I was not keeping it together but I had had the most crazy night and then to learn that the vampire that had rescued me was 2,000 years old. He had a trace of a smile on his lips

It wasn't long before we pulled up at the local hospital. We sat there in silence for a few moments. I was too scared to say anything.

"This is where they brought them" He whispered breaking the silence. I nodded and went to get out of the car. He grabbed my hand and pulled me back. "I'm sorry" He said looking into my eyes, they pain in them clear. "I'm sorry I couldn't save them" I looked away and pulled my hand out of his.

"You're wrong!" I said with clear conviction. He sighed

"I hope we can become friends when this is over" He said,

I shook my head "It is over, Goodbye Godric" I nodded to him and climbed out of the car before I did or said something I would end up regretting. I slowly walked up to the hospital the feeling of dread increasing. I walked through the automatic doors and headed towards the reception

"My dad and brother were admitted earlier tonight" I told the receptionist shakily "erm J..James and Michael T..Thompson"

"And you are?" she asked

"Err…My name is Lia T..Thompson. Please just tell me if they're okay" I begged. The tears finally coming after a night of worry and stress over my family.

"Come with me" She said. I wiped my eyes and followed her through what seemed like endless doors and down numerous corridors until she stopped at a door which was had a sign saying 'Intensive Care' I followed her through them and saw my sister, She was sat in a plastic chair crying.

"Rowan!" I called. She turned and her face broke into a smile when she saw me. She ran across the room and pulled me into a tight hug. She was sobbing and it was five minutes before she let me go

"Where have you been you stupid girl?" She hissed at me tears in her eyes "Do you have any idea how worried I've been?" She sobbed

"I'm so so so sorry Ro!" I cried "I woke up and I couldn't find my mobile so I went to get help but I couldn't find any and I got lost" I explained coming up with the excuse as I told her. I had been so worried about my family and that Godric wanted to kill me that I hadn't even thought that my family might be worried. "Ro? How are they? Dad and Mike? Are they ok?" I asked her gripping onto her tightly as if she was a life vessel and I was drowning. I desperately needed her to save me.

"No" She sobbed harder "Dad's in intensive care, they say he's got something wrong with his spine. They don't think he's going to make it"

"Oh my god" I cried "and Michael?" I asked terrified of the answer.

"He's dead Lia, He died on impact apparently" She broke into tears again

"No" I gasped "No No!" I shouted, I couldn't breathe properly. My mind was all over the place. This was my entire fault. I couldn't breathe. I had to get out of here. Ignoring my sister's calls I ran down the corridor and back the way the receptionist had taken me. I ran and ran and ran the tears blurring my eyes. I carried on running hoping that I could escape this nightmare but I couldn't. I couldn't escape this because it wasn't a nightmare. It was my life and it has suddenly become as horrific as a nightmare.

_AN: So did you like it? I know that it's a bit sad and depressing but I'm planning on doing a small time jump so that Lia's grief is not as strong and is not the main point of the story. I also have to say that Lia doesn't know that Godric caused the crash that night. She only remembers waking up in Fangtasia and if/when she finds out she will hate reasons for causing the crash will be revealed and in the next chapter there will be more Annie and Lucas scenes so you will learn more about them and their personalities _

_Please please review everyone!_


	3. Chapter 3

_AN: Thank you for all your lovely reviews! I know I'm not the most talented writer but I really try my best and so every time I get a nice review It means a lot so please keep them up! xx_

_Disclaimer: I don't own True Blood :(_

Chapter 3 –

_A girl is walking barefoot through the woods. She is wearing a long white night gown. It is night and she is scared. The trees are large and dark, their crooked branches waving in the dark moonlight. It is silent, eerily silent. Not an animal or insect is making a sound. The only sound the girl can hear is her deep breaths and the beating of her heart. She continues to walk, stepping over twigs and leaves on the ground. _

_BANG! She jumps terrified and turns around towards the sound. It is so dark she can't see anything but out of the darkness comes the baby-faced roman vampire. His kindness and humanity are gone from his face. He steps towards the girl._

"_You have done well Liana" He tells her_

"_What have I done?" She asks confused, he disappears. _

"_You have completed your task" He appears behind her back and whispers in her ear. Suddenly she is not in a forest anymore but on a long isolated road. She sees a car driving towards her. She knows what will happen. She runs towards the car screaming in desperation trying to get them to stop. The car drives right through her body as if she is ghost. Suddenly the car crashes, flying into the air it lands upside down and the girl screams._

_She runs towards the wreckage and suddenly the scene changes. She is back in the woods and before her lay on the ground is her little brother's body. She kneels down slowly, painfully and pulls the young boys body towards herself. She sits holding the body sobbing desperately. Pitiful, ragged sobs that come from her heart. She has killed her own brother. She looks at her hands, they are covered in blood._

"_You have completed your task" The vampire reappears in front of the girl who is still sobbing uncontrollably, clutching her brothers body "You have brought me dinner" He smiles an evil, cold smile at the dead boy and his fangs come out "Well done, my child you have killed him"_

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

I am dragged out of my nightmare once again by the alarm. I don't bother turning it off, I just lay there gasping in horror, breathing heavily and trying to control the sobs that are coming out of my body. I'm lying down shaking and its 20 minutes before I feel ready to move.

I stagger out of the bed and glimpse myself in the mirror, I am a mess. I've had the same nightmare every night since the accident and therefore haven't had a good night's sleep since then so I have bags underneath my eyes which are puffy and red from my crying. My hair is knotted and scruffy because of all the tossing and turning I did. Without fully paying attention, I go through the motions of my morning ritual. I shower, I brush my hair and teeth, I eat my breakfast and climb in my car and set off to school. It's been a month and it's the first time I'm returning since Michael died.

Half an hour after arriving, I'm still sat in my car breathing deeply looking up at the old faded building. Bon Temps High School was a small building compared to most other high schools. It was an old, musty building that used to be red but had gradually over the years faded into an ugly brown colour. It had been around for over 100 years and there were rumours that it used to be an old Asylum and it was haunted. It was a story that had spread around town and told through the generations by cruel teenagers taunting their younger siblings. I looked around at everyone buzzing around, gossiping, playing and laughing. It seemed like a foreign world to me, so stupid and insignificant. I sighed not for the first time that morning. It was my first day back at school since the accident and I had sat in the vehicle glued to my seat for the past 15 minutes, not able to face the stares, the mutters.

"Get a grip" I muttered. I couldn't believe how much I had changed. I was a strong young woman who wasn't scared of school! What the hell was wrong with me? "Stick to the plan" I told myself. I would not draw any attention to myself. I would keep my head down, do my work and if anyone asked me how I was doing I would nod my head and say "Fine" even though I was anything but. I sighed and braced myself as I finally stepped out of the vehicle.

"LIA!" I turned to see my two eager best friends waving at me from across the parking lot. I couldn't help but smile as Annie rushed towards me laughing, her eyes beaming. She reached me as Luke was still halfway behind her and engulfed me a hug.

"You've missed soooooo much!" She chattered away "You need to catch up what we've been doing in Gymnastics club! We've learnt so much new stuff but we can spend a few afternoons together and I'll teach you the new moves. Also Lexi left the team because she thought Sophie stole her boyfriend but it turns out he was seeing Janis and Sophie was just taking the blame so Lisa and Sophie are gone and Hannah Waterman has now joined, she's a bit quiet and doesn't really talk to anyone so Amy wants her gone but coach says she too valuable to lose…"

"Do you ever stop for breath?" I joked interrupting her "You only saw me the other day! And I've only missed a few weeks!"

"Well actually 4 weeks and 3 days but hey who counting?" Luke joked finally joining us "Hey Li" He said using his old nickname for me before hugging me tightly

"Oh before I forget" Annie gasped diving into her humongous backpack

"You know one day, that bag is going to get so big you're just going to topple over." Luke said jokingly

"Be quiet worm" A scowling Annie popped her head out of the bag and stuck her tongue at him before continuing to search. I rolled my eyes, to any outsiders, it would seem that Annie and Luke hated each other but trading insults was just their thing.

"I've got it!" She said triumphantly holding up a cupcake in a hand. Tears filled my eyes; it was tradition in our little group that when on special occasions or when one of us was sad or upset the other two bring in a cupcake to school. It started off when we were 11 year olds and it was Annie's birthday because it was the only thing we could afford but then it just developed and grew and now on special occasions the cupcake is still bought. It sounds silly but it was just a small little way of telling somebody you cared.

In the past few weeks Annie and Luke had been rocks to me. At first I had pushed them away. There was no point in causing unnecessary anguish for them when they didn't need to suffer. I was determined to go through it alone but they persisted and eventually I gave in. They supported me all the way through the funeral, helping me plan it and stayed with me for the many nights when I was crying myself to sleep. They comforted me and tried to convince me that it wasn't my fault. I didn't care what the inquest said. I disagreed that it was just an accident. I caused the crash and Michaels death. It was just something that I was going to have to live with for the rest of my life. I deserved the guilt, the pain the nightmares. I hurriedly wiped the tears from my eyes feeling stupid and hoping no-one could see.

"You guys are the best" I cried, they laughed and I hugged them both. Suddenly the bell rang, and I gasped

"Oh crap!" I panicked grabbing my bags and hurrying towards the school.

_Later that day…._

"So…." Annie said as she sat down next to me at the cafeteria table as I was trying to get the lid of my lemonade. It had been a hard morning and I was starving.

"So what?" I distractedly asked not looking at her.

"So, what happened between you and that sexy young vampire?" She asked me eagerly. I rolled my eyes; she was not going to let this go.

"Nothing" I insisted truthfully. "We texted each other a couple of times, exchanged a few emails but he had to go back to Texas"

_FLASHBACK – _

_I was lying in bed thinking about Michael. I didn't know what time it was and frankly didn't care. It had been two weeks since he died and I had barely moved. I had lain on my bed undisturbed for a few hours when I vaguely heard the doorbell ring. I didn't move Rowan would get it. I heard people talking but I couldn't make out what they were saying. I pulled my pillow over my head trying to block out the sound. I didn't respond as I heard footsteps come and stop outside my room. _

"_Lia?" Rowan knocked. I ignored her hoping she'd go away. She opened the door and came inside_

"_Lia, you awake?" She shook me_

"_No" I mumbled. I wanted to wallow. Why could she leave me in peace?_

"_There's a guy at the door for you. He insists he needs to see you" _

"_Tell him I'm sleeping" I grumbled turning away from her. _

"_No Lia he insists it's important. LIA!" She continued shaking me and trying to pull the cover from over my body._

_I sighed realising she wasn't going to give up. I stood up and walked downstairs with exaggerated slowness feeling more and more annoyed. I gasped as I clapped eyes on the vampire that had saved my life just a few weeks before stood in my doorway. _

"_Hello" Godric smiled _

"_Err…What are you doing here?" I asked rather rudely. _

"_I'll just be in the kitchen" Rowan said before scurrying off_

"_Well, I wanted to see if you were okay" He said bowing his head as if shy "I'm truly sorry about your loss"_

"_In the past two weeks we've had hundreds of sorries from people who really don't give a crap" I shrugged trying not to let my emotions or my grief show. _

"_I do though" Godric stepped forward "Give a crap. I tried to save him, I really did" He stared at my sincerely, His eyes blazing with sorrow. _

"_Did you?" I spat scathingly "I mean did you really try to save my brother or did you just go to the girl in the front seat first and think of him later?"_

"_No…" He began but I didn't let him finish as I continued my rant_

"_Why did you even bother saving me?" I asked bitterly "If you lose the ones you love then what is the point of living? You should have just left me to die!" I stopped breathing heavily a single tear rolling down my cheek. _

"_Lia, you've been through so much" Godric stepped forward and took my face in his hands, I suddenly became very aware of his touch on my skin as my heart began bouncing around in my chest beating wildly. I stared into his deep eyes and as he stared back at me I felt like he was looking into my soul "I wish I could take this pain away, I really do or even better turn back the clock and stop the crash happening in the first place. But I promise you it will get better. However cheesy it sounds, time is a great healer" I rolled my eyes scoffing and he let go of me stepping away. "You still have people who love you Lia, you have everything to live for. That's why I saved you" He smiled at me and my heart skipped a beat. _

"_I'm here if you need me" He said pulling out a piece of paper and putting it on the cabinet next to the coat rack. He looked at me for a few seconds as if deciding something before flashing me another heart-stopping smile and walking out of the door. _

I had later read the piece of paper and discovered it had Godric's address, phone and email details on there. As soon as he had left I was mortified at my behaviour towards him. He had saved my life and tried his best to save my brothers, I owed him everything but instead I shouted at him almost blaming him for my brother's death. I phoned him up nervously the next day and apologised profusely begging him for forgiveness. He said that he understood and we stayed on the phone talking for hours. I told him all about my family, my childhood, my school and my friends and he tried to swerve any questions I had about him and his life by asking me more about mine.

"Why Texas?" she asked frowning bringing me out of my reverie

"Because he lives and works there" I shrugged

"What does he do?" She eagerly persisted

"He's a sheriff, not like a cop but a vampire sheriff; he is the leader of all the vampires in a certain area of Texas" I explained from the little Godric had reluctantly explained to me in one of his rare few phone calls.

"Wow so he's powerful and hot!" She grinned

"How do you know he is hot? You've never even seen the guy" I exclaimed

"Just a hunch" she shrugged

"Well I'm sorry but I don't really know that much about him, He's very secretive! I seriously doubt anything is going to happen between us" I was surprised by how sad I felt as I said that but after he deflected all of my questions all I knew about Godric was that he was your stereotypical brooding, tortured secretive vampire. I had enough to deal with without having to deal with that as well.

"But it's like fate!" She insisted "he saved you, it's so romantic! If he went to all that trouble of saving you, he must like you" She nodded determinedly

"Trust me, he doesn't Annie!" I was 100% sure that this dark, handsome baby faced stranger didn't care

"How do you know?" Annie asked stubbornly "It's not exactly like either of us have much luck or experience with boys! The most you've done is a quick fumble with Hoyt Fortenberry and I'm the president of the church's celibacy club!" She explained animatedly waving her fork around. I sighed, I suppose she was right. I had not much experience in the boys department, Maybe Godric was giving off serious vibes and I had not registered them.

"It doesn't matter" I shook my head, as if they would get rid of my thoughts "He's a vampire and I'm a human, it would never work!"

"Never say never" Annie grinned, I laughed. That was Annie, she was so optimistic, so determined to look for the good in every situation that sometimes she made me believe that anything could happen. It was good most of the time but it could also be dangerous. It made you believe in anything.

"What are we talking about?" Luke asked sitting down beside us setting his tray of lunch on the table

"Lia's new boyfriend!" Annie said slyly

"He is NOT my boyfriend!" I said blushing furiously

"Ohhhhhhhh Lia's gone red" Lucas teased "C'mon who's the lucky guy? I'll give him a firm warning, make sure he treats you right"

"He's nobody!" I insisted "You don't even know him! He's just a friend!" I tried to say it with conviction and certainty but it just came out stilted and shy

"Well, who is he?" Lucas said looking from me to Annie and back again

"He's called Godric" Annie burst out wriggling in his seat "and he's powerful!"

"Annie!" I hissed. I didn't want Lucas knowing because I knew how he felt about vampires. Annie clearly had forgotten

"Godric? What kind of a name is that?" Lucas frowned taking a bite of his sandwich

"Well…." I paused "er well….he's kind of…erm…a….er…vampire" I muttered before sliding down in my seat. I waited for the explosion. The silence was deafening

"A vampire?" He turned around surprisingly calm "A fuckin' vampire? Jeez Lia! I thought you were smart!" He looked at me, the shock, fury and confusion in his eyes

"I am smart!" I hit back stung "I _told _you, he's just a friend! I barely know the guy!" I argued "Besides, it's none of your business!" I pointed out. I was pissed that Lucas thought I was stupid enough to get myself involved with someone as dangerous as a vampire!

"I'm trying to look out for you Lia!" Lucas hissed "Vampires are nothing but cruel, bloodthirsty killers! They're monsters with no humanity whatsoever! They cannot be around humans without killing them!" Lucas ranted getting angrier and angrier

"Lucas Lucas!" I stopped him "It's all a moot point anyway because he lives miles away! I barely know him and that's what I was trying to tell Annie!" I glared at her and turned back to him "I'm not seeing any vampires so can we just drop it please?" I asked stabbing my lasagne with my fork angrily

"Okay, fine I'm sorry!" He held his hands up "I was just trying to protect you"

"I know" I told him and I did. I understand why he hated vampires so much. His own parents had been murdered by vampires when he was just a baby so he and his brother had grown up hating vampires. I felt sorry for him but I understood that I couldn't blame all vampires for Lucas's parent's death.

Later that day I tiredly trudged in the house the tears, tantrums, laughter and arguments finally catching up with me. I sat on the couch and looked at the clock. I was not due in work for another two hours. I yawned and lay down on the couch.

'Just for a few minutes' I told myself. Within seconds I was asleep. I woke up screaming and shaking. I had the nightmare again. I looked outside, it was getting dark. I looked over at the clock and groaned, I was supposed to be due in work 15 minutes ago.

I heard the door banging and jumped up. I glanced at my appearance in the mirror and quickly patted down my hair, straightened out my rumpled t-shirt and hurriedly wiped the tears from my face. The door continued banging

"Alright I'm coming" I grumbled, whoever it was needed some lessons in patience. I flung open the door fully prepared to give them a piece of my mind but I stood in shocked silence looking at the vampire before me.

"Hello" Godric stepped forward clearly unsure of how to react at the teenage girl in shock. I mean the last time I saw him face to face I had shouted at him.

"er….oh….Hi" I stuttered smiling and going bright red. I could have kicked myself. Get a grip!

"I was just in the neighbourhood and thought I'd come and check in. We've not spoken in quite some time" He gestured towards the house "May I come in" He asked

"Errr sure" I stepped aside to let him in

"So how are you?" He asked me. I turned to him and sighed

"Do you want the 'I'll be fine' version or the truth?" I asked

"The truth"

"Not so good" I admitted "I…I can't sleep. The crash, it haunts me. Now and then I have these moments where I forget what happened and then it hits me again he's dead. He's never coming back. I'm never going hear him laugh, hear him tell him me about his day" I stopped shocked at my outburst. All he had done was ask if I was okay and I had blurted out everything. Stuff I hadn't even told my sister. He didn't seem shocked at my outburst he just stood there staring at me.

"I'm sorry" He said eventually

"Why do you do that?" I blurted out.

"Do what?" He frowned, his beautiful eyes crinkling in confusion

"Stare, it's like you're trying to read my mind or something" I shrugged blushing. It didn't make me uncomfortable, just more aware of myself, more nervous. I was a small weak teenage girl and to have this guy staring at me in that way made me feel…vulnerable.

"I'm sorry" He apologised "Is it too weird?" He asked me raising an eyebrow

"No…" I hesitated "Just…I dunno why you'd wanna stare at me" I looked down feeling my face go red again. I heard him step towards me and lift my head up

"Why would I not?" He shook his head and I openly gaped at his face. This was this closest I had been to his face and I could see clearly the smooth pale skin that looked as soft as a baby's, His eyes sparkling, his lips perfectly sculpted. He leant even closer, his fingers brushing my hair away from my face and staying on my cheek. I could now feel him breathing closer and closer as his leant further in. His eyes closed and I closed mine too wanting to savour the moment forever as I leant forward to kiss him.

"Well what's going on here then?" I inwardly groaned as my sister stepped up onto the porch. My eyes fluttered open and I quickly stepped away from Godric.

"It looks like I've just caught you nearly kissing my sister" Rowan turned to Godric fake-sternly. I rolled my eyes

"Go in the house" I rolled my eyes getting over my disappointment and embarrassment quickly. I pushed her towards the front door.

"Don't forget to use protection!" She yelled cackling as I shut the door. I stood silently cursing my sister for both interrupting us and openly voicing the fact that we had just been about to kiss. I turned around and Godric was looking as nervous as me.

"I'd better go" He smiled nervously and gestured to his car parked in the driveway

"Yes, I'm already really late for work" I said quickly

"Well….I'll see you around?" He said it like a question

"We've got a party here tomorrow" I told him gripping my hands tightly. "Err…It'll probably be lame, I mean especially for a vampire" I laughed nervously. I was rambling and it was making me nervous JUST ASK HIM! "But you're welcome to come along. It's my Dad's coming home party" I explained

My dad was finally being released after weeks of intense physiotherapy. He was temporarily in a wheelchair but the doctors were confident that with some hard work he would be walking again within a couple of months.

"I'd like that" He nodded "Goodnight Lia" He headed off to his car and it wasn't until he was safely down the road that I growled and turned towards the house.

"ROWAN, I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" I shouted.

_AN: So what do you think? Rate + Review please! If there is any criticism please make it constructive I'm always trying to improve and of course if you review on my story I'll return the favour, Just write the title of your story in your review and I promise I'll review EVERY chapter of it! :) _


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